


No Sleep

by Angsty_Eddie



Series: Young Adult Scriddler Au [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, For a Friend, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, Prompt Fic, Sensory Overload, Separation Anxiety, Sign Language, Tumblr Prompt, good ending, its not that bad i promise, not much to do with the actual hostage situation more to do with the aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12922002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angsty_Eddie/pseuds/Angsty_Eddie
Summary: Hostage situations are never easy.Recovering from them can be even harder.





	No Sleep

As bad as that night had been for both of them, the weeks that followed had been worse.

Jonathan would never forget what had happened. The night was supposed to entail a simple heist, a swing by the chemical factory to grab some much needed supplies. He was developing a new formula, and he was in dire need of a few new chemicals. It should have been easy.

Edward had decided to come along, not necessarily because he needed to, but more because he wanted to. He hadn’t been out on a proper heist in some time, his work time instead being devoted to building a larger scale death trap. The trap had taken all his efforts, and he needed to get out somehow. Jonathan’s heist provided an out. He’d been assigned to be a lookout. A minimal job really, but for once he didn’t complain. He was out of the warehouse and their apartment, and that had been his goal.

Neither of them understood why or how it had happened. But one minute, everything had been going smoothly. Jonathan was inside the factory with two of his men, gathering what he needed, and Edward was outside, watching for any police or opposing rogues.

The next minute, there was smoke, a scream from Edward, and suddenly he was gone, and Jonathan was knocked out cold, along with his men.

When he woke, it was an hour later, and Edward was nowhere in sight. He had no idea where he’d gone, and no idea how he’d ended up on the floor asleep. But he knew for certain that Edward wouldn’t have left him that way, or left him at all for that matter.

Jonathan wasted no time in finding the ransom note. Whoever had taken Edward had left it where he’d been keeping lookout so to be sure Jon could find it. The demand wasn’t that high if he was honest. A couple thousand dollars, and some of the supplies that he’d been aiming to take that night. The money didn’t bother him, and if he was being honest, neither did the demand for his much needed chemicals either.

What bothered him was the someone had the utter gall to think that they could take Edward from him and get off easy.

It hadn’t taken long for him to find Edward. The people who took him were absolutely incapable of covering their tracks it seemed. Jonathan also happened to be extremely focused on finding his partner, and nothing would deter him from that.

The men responsible were mere nobodies, but nobodies who thought that they could cross the Scarecrow’s path and get out of it alive.

That was their fatal mistake.

He had no regrets killing them. No negotiating, no begging for mercy. A swing of the scythe clear down, and they were done, bleeding out on the floor.

They needed to know that messing with the Scarecrow was the last mistake they would ever make.

It took some time, but when Jonathan finally located the room in the old warehouse where Edward was being held, there was a wave of relief that came over him. He let his shoulders drop, tearing his mask off his head as he rushed towards his partner.

Tied to a chair, the younger man looked smaller than he already did in comparison to Jonathan normally. There was blood running down his face from a cut on his cheek, and his eye was bruised and swollen, as though someone had punched it. Some minor cuts from the zip ties restraining Edward’s wrists had appeared as well, and it was obvious the men in charge had no holds when it came to trying to torture their hostage.

When Edward heard Jonathan enter the room, he jerked visibly in his seat, looking toward him with eyes wide in terror. He didn’t know it was Jonathan coming for him. He thought it was one of his attackers.

“Please, not again, no more..” Edward’s voice was barely audible, almost a whisper, and it shook with fear that Jonathan hadn’t seen from his partner since the toxin incident almost two years ago. If it were anyone else, he would say that this level of terror was almost beautiful, in its own dark twisted way.

But this was Edward. And because of that, it sent chills up his spine.

As Jonathan got closer, Edward could see that he was not in fact one of his attackers, and the way that he looked so relieved when he realized he wasn’t in danger was heartbreaking.

“Jonathan” he called, his voice shaking not with fear this time, but with tears, “…is that you?”

It took everything on Jonathan’s end to not cry when he finally appeared in the ring of light around where Edward was sitting. He looked down at his partner, taking in all the injuries, a silent fury boiling somewhere inside of him. How DARE these men think they could do this to Edward, the pathetic low lives that they were. They hadn’t deserved mercy for this, and they certainly hadn’t received any of it.

Leaning down, all it took was a clean controlled swipe from his scythe to free Edward from the zip ties that restrained him. The moment he was free, he fell into Jonathan’s arms, quietly sobbing. Jonathan pulled him in close, trying to calm Edward’s shuttering frame. It took everything Jonathan had to not cry along with his lover.

He was safe now. Jonathan had him, and he wouldn’t let anyone get to him like this ever again

____________

The weeks that followed the incident were nothing short of hard, for both of them.

Jonathan had carried Edward home that night. He was fully capable walking himself, and Jonathan knew that, but he refused to let him.

After finally arriving home and changing into more suitable night clothes, Jonathan had taken Edward down to the lab to treat his injuries. He pretended not to notice the way the Edward went stiff for a moment, the thought of going down somewhere similar to the environment he’d been trapped in making him uneasy. Instead, he grabbed Edward’s hand, holding it tightly as a reassurance that he was safe, and guided him down the stairs to his lab.

After taking care of his wounds, both of them made the decision to go and rest on the couch together. Neither felt like moving much further after that night, and the couch seemed inviting to the two.

Both had the full intention of sleeping that night.

Neither of them did.

It was like that for a while. They would go to bed together, Jonathan actually going willingly without Edward having to drag him for once. He would hold Edward close as the smaller man curled into his side and held him as well. But neither of them slept well.

Jonathan never really slept. He hadn’t slept much before this happened, a mere four hours at the most on a good night. Afterwards though, he was lucky to get an hour in. Seeing as he was already a light sleeper beforehand, the thought that someone could try to take Edward from him in his sleep put his senses on an even higher alert.

Edward on the other hand did sleep, but it was restless. He tossed and turned next to Jon, sometimes curling in closer to the taller man, seeking his comfort even while he slept. There were even times he would call out silently to Jonathan, trying to escape whatever his attackers had for him in his dreams. Those were the times Jon would pull him closer and run his hands through the man’s hair in an attempt to comfort his partner and quiet his fears.

—————-

It was late one night. The two of them were working, engrossed in their own separate tasks. Edward was working steadily on repairing his computer for a second time, updating the processor so that it would run faster. Meanwhile, Jonathan was reading one book or another related to his studies, progressively taking notes until his handwriting became indecipherable, a sign that it was time to stop for the night. He closed the book, laying it upon the stack on his desk to read for later. At some point he’d have to work his way through all those if he were to obtain the knowledge he needed for his newest toxin formula to work properly.

Standing up from his desk, he stretched, yawning as he did. His joints ached in protest, most likely from him spending so much time sitting in his god awful desk chair. Really he should get a new one, it’d be better for his back, but his teaching salary only went so far and he needed that money to go towards toxin supplies.

Jon walked over from his desk to Edward’s, admiring the younger man as he worked for a second. Delicate hands were gently turning the screws into a circuit board, trying to reconnect it to it’s mainframe without damaging the machinery. Edward knew his way around technology quite well, and that knowledge had served both him and Jon well in the past.

He placed a hand on Edward’s shoulder, and the man looked up at him, taking a second to register that it was Jonathan who got his attention. He smiled slightly, placing his hand upon Jon’s. 

“Something wrong?”

“It’s late, and I’ve lost the ability to read my own handwriting. It’d be smart for both of us to sleep.”

Considering his words for a moment, Edward looked slightly offended at his partner.

“Are you implying that I look tired, Jonathan?”

“Not at all,” he said, removing his hand from Edward’s shoulder and walking over to turn off the lights at his desk. “I just know that if I don’t say anything to you, you won’t come up with me.”

“I beg to differ. Need I remind you who used to drag you to bed every night.”

“Point taken. Either way, it’s late.”

“…fine.”

And with that, he packed up his computer for the night, stowing it and the parts that were now disconnected from it on a shelf besides his desk. He’s return to his repairs on it the next day.

Both men made their way upstairs to their shared bedroom, going about their nightly routines in relative silence. When both were ready, they climbed into bed together, Jonathan pulling Edward in close as the smaller man curled into his side like he always did. This had become their routine after the incident. Neither of them wanted to let the other go during the night.

During the day it had gotten easier. Initially after that day, both of them were protective of each other, not wanting to let the other leave their sight. Somehow they made this work, and made sure to do their work in within eyesight of the other. If Jonathan went down to the basement, Edward followed, and vice versa. Over time this got better, and the two were able to work around this and start doing things on their own again, although they still preferred each other’s company.

At night however, the two never left each other’s side. Between Jonathan’s light sleeping and Edward’s nightmares, they needed each other, and it was the time when they were most vulnerable.

He wasn’t sure what is was that woke him that night. Maybe it was the sudden chill that came over him, or the deafening silence of the room, but at some point, a few hours after falling asleep, Jonathan woke up to find that Edward wasn’t in bed with him.

It was at that realization that he started to panic.

Edward had gone to bed with him. He had started out sleeping with him, and at one point Jon had been stroking his hair when he began to shift in his sleep. If Edward moved, Jonathan should have known about it.

Anxiety bubbling in his chest, Jon kicked the sheets off from around him and got out of bed. This didn’t add up. How had Edward just left the bed entirely and Jonathan was completely unaware of it?? Had he really been that tired that he wasn’t as alert that night? Did someone take Edward and he hadn’t noticed? Had Edward just decided to leave at some point and not tell Jonathan?? His mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to find a solution to the situation as he walked towards the front of the house.

It wasn’t until he got to the kitchen that Jon was greeted with the lights being on and the strong scent of…hot chocolate??

Looking in the entrance towards the kitchen table, Jon felt almost all the tension leave his body when he saw Edward sitting there, a streaming mug sat in front of him, looking extremely tired.

He was ok. No one had taken him. He wasn’t hurt. He was here, at home, still with Jonathan.

He was safe.

But then, why was he in the kitchen when he should have been asleep in their bed?

Jonathan walked over towards the table, and it wasn’t until he pulled the chair next to Edward towards him that the younger man noticed his presence. He looked up, slightly startled to see that Jon had joined him, but relaxed when he realized it was only Jon and no one else.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d have said that Edward almost looked like he was in a dissociative state. He was staring at the mug of hot chocolate in his hands, a certain far away look in his eyes. He wasn’t entirely there.

Debating his options, Jonathan reached over and placed his hand over-top of his partners. It took a second, but he finally got Edward’s attention, and the younger man looked over at him, waiting to see what he wanted.

“I assume there’s a valid explanation for why you’re out here this late at night.”

Edward looked at him for a second, then moved his hand out from under Jon’s.

“No sleep. Too many thoughts. Need drink,” he said. Only, he didn’t say it. He signed it.

That explained a lot then. Sometimes when Edward experienced sensory overload, talking took too much effort. And sometimes when he was too tired, he ended up going nonverbal. In the beginning this had been a problem for them both, since Jonathan had no way to know what Edward needed when he couldn’t verbally communicate it to him. However, both had resolved the issue by taking up learning sign language, or more specifically ASL. Since then, whenever Edward was incapable of being verbal, he would sign to Jonathan. That worked much better than him frustratingly flailing his arms about when he couldn’t speak what he needed.

“Does the hot chocolate help,” Jon asked, watching as Edward took a slow drink from his mug. His movements were groggy, showing just how exhausted he really was.

“It helps. Still tired. Need sleep,” Edward signed, keeping his eyes on his mug.

“Sorry for waking you up.”

Jonathan stopped at that. Since when did Edward apologize to him?

“I worried you.”

Oh.

He could see it in Jon’s actions. As much as he felt ok right now, Jonathan knew the way he entered the kitchen gave away just how much he had been worrying over Edward’s absence. And Edward hadn’t missed that reaction.

“It’s ok. You’re not in any danger, all is well. You just needed your fix is all.”

Edward looked up at him, his expression blank.

“I’m still sorry.”

Jonathan sighed, letting his shoulders drop. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding them up.

“Come here,” he said, gently taking Edward’s hand, pulling him up from the table. Leaving his now empty mug behind, he got up and followed Jon towards the couch in the living room. Jonathan sat down, and motioned for Edward to join him. He did, opting to lay down so that he could lay his head in Jon’s lap. That was something that always seemed to comfort him when he was having a bad night.

Jon looked down at Edward resting on his lap, and took in the younger man’s gentle appearance. It wasn’t often that he saw Edward so calm. Normally he was full of energy, moving from one thing to the next as he came up with ideas for things to build and projects to start. But now, as he laid with Jonathan trying to sleep, he looked more…relaxed in a sense. He laid his head back, resigning to try and sleep more himself. The presence of Edward curled up with him was a comfort to him, and made that an easier task than if he had been alone.

At some point, Jon felt Edward shift. He glanced down to see the younger man’s face tense up, a look of fear setting into his features. He turned over on Jon’s lap and pressed himself closer into Jon, trying to find comfort in his unconscious state in the presence of his partner’s touch. He was having nightmares again.

Jonathan took one hand and laid it on Edward’s head, lacing his fingers through the man’s hair as he did. He then took the other and found Edward’s hands, grabbing them both with a reassuring grasp. They sat like that for a while, Jon playing with Edward’s hair and holding his hands, trying to calm his partner down from whatever had him worked up in his dreams.

Eventually Jonathan felt Edward relax slightly, his breathing evening out as he feel back into a more calm rhythm. Good. He deserved a good night’s sleep for once, and if Jonathan could help him achieve that, then he would do so without question.

They both deserved a good night’s rest if he was being honest with himself.

He looked down again at Edward, his hand still resting in his partner’s hair. It was always soft, even when he was sleeping and it was tousled about from it’s normal style. As comforting as it is for Edward when Jon plays with his hair, it’s also a comfort for Jon as well. It’s grounding, in it’s own unique way.

He knows they’re not perfect. They are both far, far from it. And this whole incident proved that, to both of them.

But, in moments like this, in the quiet of the night, when they were both together and providing each other a sense of normalcy, maybe that was okay.

Maybe..it was okay to not be perfect for once.

Because in some way, they were perfect for each other, despite all the flaws.

And as far as Jonathan cared, that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt fic written for my amazing friend Charli. It's still included in my series of fics for my Scriddler au, and takes place more toward the current part of Ed and Jon's relationship timeline


End file.
